Travel Advice

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO ADVICE FOR PET TRAVEL AFTER 29/03/19

With the uncertainty over Brexit, we do not know if the current pet passports (and the advice outlined at the bottom of this page) will be valid after the 29/03/2019, and you may not be permitted to enter, or return from, the EU region with your existing documentation.

It is vital that anyone who intends to travel with their pet to Europe next year reads the attached Government advice notice which was issued on 6/11/18.

The process to prepare to travel could take up to 4 months, so YOU MUST START PLANNING NOW, AND CERTAINLY BEFORE 28/11/18.

OUR CLIENTS MUST CONTACT OUR PRACTICE AS A MATTER OF URGENCY TO DISCUSS THEIR OPTIONS.

Travel Advice for pets travelling, and returning, to the UK before 29/03/19

You will always require export paperwork to take your pet abroad. As this process can be quite involved and lengthy you should start planning well in advance. Please feel free to speak to us early on in this process so we can advise you, however it is vital that you contact your local DEFRA office as soon as possible for detailed information on the requirements for the country you wish to travel to. This can be done by telephone or through their website (see link below)

However for many countries it is now possible to travel more easily with your pet, and return back to the UK without the need for quarantine. This is the basis of the Pet Travel Scheme. In order to take advantage of this scheme you need to register your pet, i.e. the animal is issued with a Pet Passport. We can arrange this for you, but it involves a specific procedure, i.e.:

Microchipping. This must occur before, or on the same day as, the first Rabies vaccination. Any Rabies vaccinations prior to microchipping are not valid.

Rabies vaccination

Your pet is not permitted to leave the UK for 21 days after the initial Rabies vaccination, whether returning or not.

Animals returning to the UK are, in many cases, no longer required to have a blood test performed. However those countries where blood testing is still necessary before re-entry to the UK are listed on the DEFRA website, and you need to check that site to confirm the exact requirements for any country to which you wish to travel.

24-120 hours (1-5 days) before entry to the UK, all pet dogs must be certified by a vet as having been treated for tapeworms with specific products.This rule only applies to dogs. Currently the only exceptions to this rule are Ireland, Malta and Finland.

Rabies vaccines are valid in the UK for 2 years, and as long as your pet is re-vaccinated within that 2 year period the passport will continue to be valid. However, as a number of European countries require annual vaccination with Rabies, we recommend giving a booster vaccination every year.

In addition if travelling into Southern Europe, i.e. Southern France, Italy, Greece, Spain etc. your pet will be exposed to a number of diseases that do not occur in the UK. Many of these are transmitted by biting insects, and as such veterinary authorities in these countries normally recommend regular treatment with specific anti-insect products. Some of these need to be started prior to leaving the UK and we can advise you on the various products required.

More detailed information is available on the DEFRA website and we would strongly advise you to examine it as the requirements for travel can change at any time.